Impacts of the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23)
In November 2022, the Province of Ontario passed the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23). The Bill introduced sweeping impacts to development charges (DCs), Regional planning activities, and other items relevant to both Regional and local municipalities in Durham Region.
While local government does not build housing, they do help plan for it. The Region makes sure that services and infrastructure (such as drinking water and sewer pipes) are planned, paid for and in place to support new housing.
Bill 23 removes Regional Council’s role in approving land-use planning decisions and reduces DC funding to municipalities for infrastructure. The changes introduced in Bill 23 could make this process longer, more expensive and limit our ability to support truly affordable housing.
Existing property taxpayers and ratepayers of Durham Region—as with most other municipalities in Ontario—will be asked to fund future infrastructure to support new homes in our community.
Higher property taxes—at both the local and Regional levels—are now likely. Finding ways to fund larger projects could also mean reducing the level of services that our communities have come to expect.
Durham Regional Council, local area municipalities and Indigenous communities were not consulted on these changes. Supporting about 84,000 new homes in Durham over the next 10 years requires partnerships and collaboration.
The Region is asking the province to engage with municipalities, in a meaningful way, to help increase the supply of different types of housing for all residents and income levels.
Learn more about additional impacts in the various sections below. This page will continue to be updated, as new information becomes available.
Development charges (DCs) and impact to taxpayers | ||||||||||
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Importance of Regional planning | ||||||||||
Regional governments are important to supporting new housing construction and shaping our communities. Regional planning aims to ensure that future growth is balanced with required services (transit service, water, sewer and roads). Durham Regional Council uses the Durham Regional Official Plan to ensure infrastructure is planned and delivered in a co-ordinated and responsible manner. It is about creating resilient communities. It is about protecting the environment. It is about preserving our agricultural land base; a vital piece of our local and provincial economies. Bill 23 removes the Region’s approval role in land-use planning. The Region of Durham and six other upper-tier municipalities will be “upper-tier municipalities without planning responsibilities.” But a date has not been given for when that might happen. The role of Regional planning extends beyond approving development plans. Regional planning teams develop the Regional Official Plan. This guides and co-ordinates development on a regional scale. It includes things like:
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Impacts to the Greenbelt | ||||||||||
At the same time as Bill 23, the province introduced legislation to remove lands from the Greenbelt to support more housing development. In the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the province identified 7,400 acres of land to be removed. More than 4,500 acres are within Durham Region (in Pickering, Ajax and Clarington). A condition of removal is that homes must be under construction by 2025. This means development is on an accelerated timeline. However, Durham Region does not require more land to meet its housing targets. There is an eight to 10-year supply of housing already planned (in draft approved plans of subdivision, registered plans and via applications), which are not in the Greenbelt. Development on the Greenbelt lands raises environmental concerns. It will take time to understand how to service these areas and what the cost will be. These new developments need to consider flood-related impacts, risks to existing plants and animals, and address other environmental concerns. Durham Region is concerned with increasing development, within the Greenbelt, at a time when many municipalities, including Durham, have declared climate emergencies. The Region will do its best to ensure that if development proceeds in these areas, it will not cost existing taxpayers. |
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Impacts to Conservation Authorities (CAs) | ||||||||||
Under Bill 23, the role of Conservation Authorities as a support to municipalities has been limited. Now, their role will only be to comment on planning applications that relate to natural hazards and flooding. Some of the previous responsibilities of the CAs has been transferred to municipalities. There are five CAs within Durham Region. For decades, the Region and local municipalities have relied on the expertise of CAs to help protect sensitive natural heritage features. They would be consulted through development approvals. They helped to mitigate natural hazards and flooding in new development areas. Bill 23 has changed this. CAs provide insight and advice to municipalities to support the review of new development applications. CAs have also been asked to review their land ownership—purchased with significant contributions from local taxpayers—to identify what, if any, areas could be used for housing. This initiative is a threat to the conservation areas that our residents have come to enjoy. It risks houses being built in locations that are not suitable for development. |
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Capacity in the York Durham Sewage System (YDSS) | ||||||||||
The Region of Durham and the Region of York share responsibility for operation of the York Durham Sewage System (YDSS), including the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) in Pickering. The Supporting Growth and Housing in York and Durham Region Act requires York to send sewage and wastewater (such as water from doing laundry or washing dishes) from communities in upper York to Durham Region at the Duffin Creek WPCP. This mandated additional servicing would exclusively support Aurora, East Gwillimbury and Newmarket in York Region. Treating upper York’s sewage and wastewater in Pickering means more homes can be built in York—without any community benefits to Durham Region residents. Both Durham and York Regional Councils confirmed a preferred alternative treatment option related to Lake Simcoe, rather than an expansion into Lake Ontario. More information can be found in 2021-COW-28. The Region is asking the province to ensure that any financial implications are revenue neutral for Durham Region residents. |
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Local perspectives | ||||||||||
Municipality of Clarington statement and council report City of Oshawa statement and council report Town of Whitby Mayor’s Column, Video on Bill 23 and Bill 23 FAQs |
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